Dammit! Eddie failed to get Zammit
Brazilian winger ‘definitely a steal’ for £17m by Bielsa
WALES’ new superstar Louis Rees-zammit could have been wearing white next Saturday in Cardiff had an audacious bid by Eddie Jones to lure him to England paid off.
Jones has revealed he approached the Gloucester flier before last season’s Six Nations in an attempt to persuade him to turn his back on Wales and qualify through residency for England instead.
His failure means England will have to deal with the scorching pace which brought ‘Rees lightning’ two tries against Scotland, including the chip-and-chase touchdown of the tournament contender.
“I gave him a ring,” said the England head coach.
“I heard he was very Welsh and wanted to play for Wales but said if he was interested, we would be.
“He had to do five years qualification in terms of residency and a young guy like him is not going to sit around for five years. I wished him good luck and I am pleased he is doing well. I just hope he does not do too well against us.
Deficient
“Rees-zammit has got something about him – footwork, pace and he finds the line – but like any young player, there are areas of his game that he is a little bit deficient in and we have to be good enough to find those areas.”
The man tasked with stopping Rees-zammit as the Guinness Six Nations resumes will be
Gloucester team-mate Jonny May (right), who was also on the scoresheet in round two with a spectacular finish against Italy.
“On a good day I can just about keep up with him,” said May, who at 30 is a decade older than his club-mate.
“He is incredibly fast, as fast as I have come across. He is still very young, too, so has the potential to get quicker as well.
“He is a raw talent and has some skills too.
“I try and help him at Gloucester. It was part of the appeal of going back, being part of that back line with Zam. I will give him a wave when I see him, then you just crack on and get on with it.”
May, who was clocked at 23.6mph against the Barbarians three years ago, has been further honing his sprint technique online with top American track and field coach Dan Pfaff, who is based in Arizona.
Rees-zammit hit 22.6mph last year – but since then he has moved into another gear.
“I’d never practised sprinting to be honest, I’d just got it from my dad, Joseph,” Reeszammit admitted.
“He played American Football, not rugby, is really athletic and he’s passed it on to me.
“For the last year, I’ve been doing sprint training with Gloucester’s strength and conditioning coach Dan Tobin and I’ve got faster.
“There are a lot of fast backs at Gloucester and it gets you faster each day, trying to outrun them.
“There’s me, Jonny May, Ollie Thorley, Charlie Sharples… we’re all quite fast and it is quite competitive. We have a bit of fun.”
Saturday will be fun too. Blink and you’ll miss it.
TYLER ROBERTS has hailed Raphinha as “an absolute steal” as Leeds prepare to fend off summer bids for the Brazilian sensation.
The 24-year-old winger arrived from Rennes in October in a £17million switch following Leeds’ promotion and is proving arguably the bargain of the Premier League season.
Barcelona and Liverpool have been linked with a player who has scored four goals and provided five assists for the Whites.
Although Marcelo Bielsa’s side slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Wolves on Friday night, Raphinha was again their most creative source.
Wales international forward Roberts said: “I think Raphinha’s definitely a steal.
“In training you can just see straight away he’s a typical skilful Brazilian player.
Entertainers
“But his work ethic as well is outstanding and it goes so well in our team.
“We are lucky to have him and I think he’s worth a lot of money.
“He’s definitely a great player and I enjoy playing with him.”
Bielsa’s unyielding commitment to attack has seen Leeds labelled the ‘Great Entertainers’ and earned comparisons with Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle team in the mid-1990s.
Roberts added: “The manager gives us freedom to pretty much weave where we want. But always with high energy and always trying to create chances.
“We’re always playing the same and he’s an enjoyable manager to play under. I think we’ve adapted to it very well, although we’ve obviously had Marcelo for a few years now.
“We can only keep trying to get better and better.”
Striker Patrick Bamford was left fuming at Molineux after having a goal rubbed out by VAR for a marginal offside.
It added to the Leeds frustration, with the winning strike a freak own goal when Adama Traore’s shot bounced off the woodwork and into the net off goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
Bamford, who was watched by England boss Gareth Southgate, tweeted: “Gutted for the lads tonight, robbed of a point. But at least it’s ‘making the game better’. We go again Tuesday.”
Team-mate Roberts said: “It’s unfortunate and I personally think that when it’s that tight then it should be a goal.
“Their winner was just a freak but it was performance where all the boys were pushing to the end – it just wasn’t meant to be.
“But we’ll rest up, take the positives and be ready to go again on Tuesday against Southampton.”
BRENDAN RODGERS has spotted a managerial maestro of the future in young Leicester star Youri Tielemans.
Foxes gaffer Rodgers is renowned for absorbing every fresh bit of information he can about the art of coaching.
And he reckons that he’s been seeing something similar in the 23-year-old Belgian international.
The defensive midfielder will be at the heart of Rodgers’ strategy today for the crucial clash at Aston Villa, as Leicester try to maintain their push for a top-four spot.
Former Anderlecht and Monaco man Tielemans joked that his boss thinks he’s after his job.
Tielemans said: “He thinks I can be a manager. I don’t know why, you’d have to ask him. Maybe it’s because I am never a problem. I live quite a quiet life. I’m a good family man.”
Rodgers says there’s a lot more to it than just that, and
TIEL ME ABOUT IT: Rodgers rates his midfield star highly can’t believe Tielemans is still physicality of the Premier so young. League.
He said: “Youri has been “But Youri sees the passes brilliant to work with. He so early as well, so he’s able to deserves all the accolades he give himself the time and space gets. It’s easy to forget he’s 23. he needs more often than not, even from tight situations.”
And the Leicester boss is determined to keep a tight hold on Tielemans long-term.
Rodgers added: “I would love to keep him here. He’s a really important player.
“He’s got a couple of years left on his contract here but I know it’s something the club will be speaking to him about.”
Stronger
“His tactical view of the game is at the highest level and now he’s got used to the physical side of the game here.
“He’s been off to the gym to get himself stronger.
“That side of things can make it tough when you first come over and sample the